BESS directorate grant extension

The BESS (Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability) programme started in February 2011 and was scheduled to run to January 2017. This year, a full and extensive mid-term review was submitted to the Programme Executive Board (PEB), detailing progress in a range of areas, and a full discussion of the implications for future spend and activity was discussed at the 12th PEB on 23rd July 2014. It was agreed that BESS has been extra-ordinarily successful in achieving its goals to date, but this in turn has created unanticipated demands on the original budget. These increased demands are due to the scale of the network created and unanticipated requirement on the Directorate to play a leading role in the biodiversity research and stakeholder community as well as becoming the focus of the Ecosystem Approach adopted by the UK agencies. As a result of the PEB discussions, a new spend profile has been drawn up which requires additional funds to supplement the original award.

The impact of this application is essentially similar to that of the original BESS directorate application. These are detailed in our Engagement Strategy and Engagement Plan (http://www.nerc-bess.net/index.php/knowledge-exchange-overview) and which can be summarised here as follows:

1.1 Promote collaboration between researchers within and beyond with BESS programme
1.2 Ensure that individual project leaders and participants are committed to the objectives of the programme, including participation in workshops and other programme-level activities
1.3 Provide added value by establishing co-funding for the programme
2.1 Engage with policy-makers to raise the policy profile of BESS research
2.2 Communicate with policy-makers concerning priorities for BESS-related research, to ensure that BESS research is policy-relevant
2.3 Create materials based on BESS science that are accessible to the policy community
3.1 Improve transfer of information on BESS science in accessible formats such as policy and practice notes
3.2 Develop links with local ecosystem-level projects, including via the Defra Ecosystems Knowledge Network
3.3 Promote exchange activities of BESS research staff with government agencies and NGOs responsible for and delivering ecosystem-level projects
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4.1 Develop links with specific professional bodies, the private sector and the business community to promote awareness of BESS research
4.2 Promote exchange activities of BESS research staff with the corporate sector
4.3 Involve the corporate sector in BESS programme activities, including workshops, membership of the Programme Advisory Board, and in the development of BESS research and outreach activities.
5.1 Support activities that promote public understanding and engagement, for example via participation in Science in Society events
5.2 Ensure that there is frequent and timely use of press releases to promote BESS science to the media
5.3 Provide an informative and appealing website, including short films to promote BESS science and an active social media presence